There are a couple of distinct viewpoints on the current economic crisis.  They offer equally distinct views of the future.

The Vermont perspective is very real.  Our friends and neighbors have lost jobs; we watch families, companies and our governments struggle to make do with less; the value of our assets plummet.

From this viewpoint, we look forward to going back where we were.  The economy recovers; we return to work; 401K's are restored; the tax base is rebuilt.  Surely this bust will be followed with another boom.  It's just a question of when.

The national perspective is more remote for Vermonters but equally real.  Banks are closing every week; the automobile industry is bankrupt; the credit market is closed and retail sales have tanked.  

From this viewpoint, recovery doesn't look so good:  banks would sell more artificial instruments of artificial value; huge gas guzzlers would start rolling off the production lines; we get back to borrowing more and more money to buy more and more of what we don't need.

Unfortunately Vermont's economy can't recover until the national economy reinvents itself and starts providing us what we really need like affordable health care, carbon-free energy and healthy food.   

At VBSR, we see a window of opportunity to reinvent this economy before it recovers.  But we have to hurry.  Another boom is surely on the way.

Will Patten
Executive Director
Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility
willp@vbsr.org
802.862.8347